A. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to toggle clamps and locks therefore, and the use of said toggle clamps and locks for securing an anchor on the bow of a boat when the head of the shank of the anchor is resting on a roller, pin, channel or other apparatus and the flukes, plough or other digging portions are overlapping the roller, pin or channel.
B. The Prior Art
Toggle clamps are well known in the art of clamping objects against fixed position holders. The toggle clamp, by its very nature, provides a lock of sorts when it is in the retracted position. Most toggle clamps are subject to release by accidental tripping, vibration, or other external forces. It would be an advance in the art if toggle clamps were provided with safe locks, so that an object being held by a toggle clamp could be placed in the locked position with the quick and easy movement of a toggle clamp; and then, without releasing the tension therein provided, be subsequently safe locked with a fail safe pin.
Most intermediate sized boats in the 25-65 foot range have some accommodation for one or more anchors at the ready on the bow. An "anchor at the ready" as used herein is an anchor which can be released from the bow through a chute, over a roller or with other state-of-the-art apparatus.
Attached to most of these anchors is one or more shackles and a length of chain. While there are some elaborate systems for holding the anchor in place with winch gypsies, windlass gypsies and/or chain pawl locks, except for the chain pawl locks, most of these devices cannot be relied upon to prevent accidental release. Many less sophisticated systems require that the anchor be lashed with line or hooked with elastic (Bungie) cord on the bow to prevent accidental release. Lashings or elastic retainers are imperfect and susceptible to accidental release; and they are sometimes slow to make fast and release.
An object of this invention is to provide the easy clamping action of a toggle clamp in combination with a fail-safe locking means, in such a manner that once a clamp has been tensioned, there is no need to release the clamp prior to the fail-safe locking step.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a means for quickly securing an anchor at the ready on the bow of a boat, and then, without releasing the tensioning means, lock the tensioning means with a fail-safe snag proof secure lock.
Briefly, the objects of the invention are accomplished in a device comprising in combination an elongated channel having an essentially planar base, and two essentially planar sides, each of the sides having at least two circular orifices, each of the circular orifices on one of the sides paired with a similarly disposed orifice on the other of the sides, thereby providing a first pair and a second pair of orifices, and mounting means for the channel: a first pin mounted within the first pair of orifices and rotably holding a toggle arm having a mount end and a handle portion so disposed as to provide an open position with the handle portion extending out of the channel and a closed position with the handle portion essentially within the channel; an attachment arm rotatably mounted on the toggle arm handle; and a locking pin which is insertable within the second pair of orifices and over at least a portion of the handle in the closed position thereby to provide a locked status and which is removable from the path of the handle from the closed position to the open position to provide an unlocked status.